Amaya Brown's return to full health a boon for Florida State women's basketball team

Florida State guard Amaya Brown just wasn’t herself on the court when she tried to return from the knee surgery which ended her freshman season.

It prompted her to redshirt last season and focus on regaining strength in her knee to become the player she was when FSU recruited her out of Cibola High in Albuquerque, N.M.

During last week’s exhibition game, Brown was back at full strength and showed glimpses of the impact she may be able to make for the Seminoles’ women’s basketball team this coming season.

“I feel like my game is much better. I feel like my strength is 100 percent now, so I feel like I saw my speed back,” Brown said. “I felt like my speed was there. And offensively, I felt really good.”

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Brown’s return is one of the reasons veteran FSU coach Sue Semrau feels her team will be able to fit the pieces on the court better during this season, which begins Tuesday night when the Seminoles host UNF at 7 p.m. at the Tucker Civic Center.

Florida State, which is coming off a 10-9 season and a first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament, is ranked No. 24 in the Coaches Poll and expected to be among the top five teams in the perennially loaded Atlantic Coast Conference.

Brown played nearly nine minutes off the bench and shot 3 for 5 from the field to finish with six points, while recording four steals.

Brown, a 5-foot-11 redshirt junior, could play a key role for the Seminoles’ backcourt led by seniors Morgan Jones and Bianca Jackson if she can provide such effectiveness at both ends of the court.

“She finished extremely strong and I was so happy to see that,” Semrau said. “On the defensive end, she's one of the best we have and there's just no question. She understands it. She physically is so capable as a defender on and off the basketball.

“I think for her what it's been is just getting used to the offensive side of things again, we've moved her back and forth between the wing and the point and I think her natural position is more of a wing and so once we can get her off the point a little bit more, I think she'll start to feel a bit more comfortable out there on the court.”

After her injury, Brown played in only 13 games as a sophomore during the 2019-20 season and averaged six minutes per game.

Brown averaged 3.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 15.7 minutes per game before the injury, and appeared to be ready to secure a consistent starting role as she started games against Louisville and Duke, hitting a pair of clutch free throws down the stretch to beat the Blue Devils that season.

“The strengthening of my knee was the hardest thing for sure just because my quads were just so weak from my surgery,” Brown said. “So that was just the biggest challenge is getting strength back in my knee and getting my quad to where it needs to be so I don't reinjure it.

“I'll just say I'm really excited. You know, just not having played in so long. I'm just really excited and grateful to be back.”

Brown’s defensive skills could prove useful immediately against the Ospreys, who are coming off a 14-11 season in which they finished third in the Atlantic Sun Conference with an 11-5 conference record. UNF returns four starters including redshirt senior guard Jazz Bond (17.8 points per game last season) and made 9.5 three-pointers per game last season while averaging 36.8 percent from that range.

FSU will host its first four games against unranked nonconference opponents this month before taking on BYU and either West Virginia or Purdue in the St. Pete Showcase in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Semrau was asked what she’d like to see from her team as the season gets underway this week.

She has an extensive wish list.

“I probably expect too much,” Semrau said with a smile. “But what I would love to see early in the season is for us to commit to a pressure style of defense that can turn people over and we can run on the offensive end. I would love to see our team get numbers and make strong decisions in that.

“I'd also like to see our team be an exceptional rebounding team, and we are still a work in progress as far as that goes. We've got a couple of natural rebounders on our team. That's what we do at Florida State. We rebound the ball. I also think that I'd like to see balanced scoring. We've got a ton of talented kids who can score the basketball, and just helping them to understand. I'd like to see the balance because I think we have a great inside scoring threat and in addition to some really strong perimeter shooters.”

Florida State women’s basketball vs. UNF

When, where: 7 p.m., Tuesday, Tucker Civic Center, Tallahassee.

TV/RADIO: ACC Network Extra/96.5 FM

Note: Tickets are as low as $4 available at either Seminoles.com or at 1-888-FSU-NOLE.

Reach Andre Fernandez at afernandez@tallahassee.com or follow him on Twitter @FernandezAndreC.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU Seminoles guard Amaya Brown is 100 percent, ready to make impact